


The Witch and the Forest

by nocturnalboys



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: M/M, Trans Male Character, aha I poured all my birthday spirit into this one, forest god au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 23:35:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9351434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nocturnalboys/pseuds/nocturnalboys
Summary: Symbiotic relationships exist everywhere in nature; birds and elephants, bats and cactus flowers. And of course, a witch must have a god to care for too.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SetsuntaMew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SetsuntaMew/gifts).



> This is a birthday present for Killian @SetsuntaMew!! I really put all my effort into making it a great gift :)

Judal knew he should’ve worn shoes; anything would do at this point. If he could find leaves, those, at least, would make suitable footgear, provided he used the right sort of magic. The burnt hills were so devoid of life, not even grass grew out of the scorched earth, bits of gravel and the bones of small animals sticking the soles of Judal’s feet. Still, he’d have to be a fool to stop now, when his pursuers could catch up any minute. 

The landscape was punishingly vast, and nothing like Judal had ever experienced. In his coven, the only places he’d been permitted to walk were the river and the nearby marshland. Three-tiered canopy above, damp soil below. He had never needed shoes. He had started wishing for them the moment his feet hit the burnt earth. 

Worst of all, worse than the pain of walking, was the sense of shame, like he really was doing something wrong. He had to convince himself every few steps why he was running, what the point of it all really was. Drudging up memories was painful, but it was the step he had to take to keep those same events from repeating themselves. Besides, there was no turning back now. If there was anything on the other side of the razed hills, he’d likely be closer to it than the place he’d escaped from. 

He stopped briefly, to catch his breath, dusting himself off. His clothes, which just a few days ago had been soft and perfect for the forest, were torn and coated in a layer of thick ash. The least he could do was tie up his hair. Wearing it loose would encourage tangling. Impulsively, Judal reached up to tug his necklace, but his fingers closed on air. He’d already thrown it away, along with all the other jewelry Falan had given him for jobs well done. For all he knew, they were trackers of some kind. 

What he would do for some water, or a nap! Reluctantly, Judal forced himself back to his feet, resuming his climb from the lonely valley floor to a bluff rising overhead. Thin strands of grass wafted on the edge; whatever natural disaster ate the landscape whole, the steep bluff stopped it in its tracks. His long fingernails clawing in the ash and rubble, Judal scrambled up the last of the slope, pulling himself heavily onto the lip of the bluff. Finally. He rolled over, feeling his muscles ache. Back at the coven, whenever he grew sore, Falan would treat him with medicines from the forest, but he’d never learned to make them himself. He needed someplace safe to rest and let his body mend. 

The top of the hill was mostly gravel, but the grass was peppered with small, yellow flowers, petals hanging from drooping stalks like bells, no larger than thumb bones. Further down, clumps of pink and purple blossoms dotted the incline, a pattern infrequently broken by rhododendron bushes. The air was cleaner in his lungs; the lush feeling of a nearby wilderness bloomed in his chest. 

His legs numb, Judal stumbled down the other side of the hill and under the trees that marked the outskirts of a forest. The earth was softer under his feet, moss and beds of fallen leaves pillowing his steps into the shadows. Mind dulled with exhaustion, he put the last of his strength to use in climbing a sprawling fruit tree, letting his body slump on a thick branch. Dimly, he could hear the twittering of birds, the chattering of monkeys, the rustling of leaves. 

As he slipped off to sleep, he could feel a set of eyes on him. Not spying, only watching over.

***

When he woke, feeling more alert, the black hole in his stomach yawned wide. He hadn’t eaten properly since he took to his feet. He sat up cautiously, taking in the dark branches and leaves surrounding him. Nearby, a frog was croaking. He’d save eating frogs for when he was really desperate. For the moment, he thought he could spy fruit, dangling a little higher in the boughs of the tree. Reaching for the trunk, he held himself up, reaching into the twilight above and snatching a fist-sized fruit from where it hung. 

He gave it a sniff. It didn’t seem dangerous. Maybe a little overripe. He took a bite, not caring if he caught the stem in his teeth. He’d eat that too, if given the chance. When he was satisfied, face and hands sticky, he let the pit fall to the forest floor, landing in a divot in the soil. Being hungry took away some of the fear, but it was steadily returning now, urging him to keep going, when he wasn’t even sure he had the energy.

Clasping his hands to the tree’s bark, he tried to judge how large it was. He could feel the life force in the roots stretch meters away into the earth, drinking nutrients from a wide radius. In a way, he owed the tree his life. Concentrating as much as he was able, he passed half his remaining spirit into the tree. He could stay here a while longer, in the concealing umbrella of leaves. If they found him, they’d have to kill him here, because he wasn’t going back. 

There were whispers in the foliage below, that feeling once again of being watched, but Judal convinced himself it was all in his head, and slipped back off to sleep.  
***

Meanwhile, hidden perfectly in the shadow of a rhododendron, someone was watching the young witch. Normally, Hakuryuu had a way of persuading unwanted guests to leave, especially the kind who seemed like they were setting in for an extended stay. The forest was his body; parasites made him all sorts of uncomfortable.

But the witch, who had stumbled in aimlessly through the burnt hills, fell asleep in one of Hakuryuu’s trees and ate its fruit without even asking, had also given his own magical energy to replenish his new arboreal home. Hakuryuu could tell it was his, not a force divined from his surroundings; it had personality, a kind of bitterness. The whole thing was sort of touching. Not to mention he was very pretty, long black hair and a sweet face, despite the sour curl in his lip. 

Hakuryuu decided to let him be. He was doing no harm. 

Over the next few days, the witch drew his attention even further. While he ate the fruit, he coaxed the tree to grow, until its roots burst in knotted ropes from the ground, its leaves turning thick, waxy and healthy. He talked to it, which was sweet, but he’d never heard anyone use so much casually vulgar language, which was strangely charming. One day, it rained, and he climbed further up into the canopy, using a leaf like a funnel to draw the rainwater into his mouth.

The best part was when he sang. Hakuryuu knew music, the thrum of wildlife on a hot Summer twilight, the distant cries of crane on the river, the warbling of a stream swollen by rain. The witch was a songbird in his own right, piping out bits of tune. Occasionally, one of Hakuryuu’s herds of milu deer would stop underneath his tree to listen, ears all pricked towards the sound. 

Hakuryuu felt he was essentially a god. Maybe he wasn’t part of the great cosmic pantheon. He had no worshippers, and since his forests were so closed off, no pilgrims came with tools to build paths or shrines. He was immortal nonetheless, and he bore the stamp of heavenly power on his shoulders. So why was he rendered mortal when it came to speaking to one?

He debated simply expelling him, pushing him on his way, but in the end lost the mental battle. His curiosity, his longing to talk with him, trumped all else. Besides, there was a haunted look about the witch sometimes, like doom was bearing down upon him. He couldn’t abandon him to the hard world. Not yet. He didn’t even know his name. 

***

Judal wasn’t sure how long he’d been in the forest, but he did know he’d have to come out of the tree eventually. To stretch his legs, at the very least. Sticking to the trunk, he slithered down to the ground, wiggling his toes in the leaf litter. If he was going to stay in this place, he might as well explore a little, get a feel for the place. Turning in a circle, he picked a random cardinal point and started off into the undergrowth. It was a periwinkle morning, ivory blue sky showing through gaps between towering broad-leaved stands of wood, and a faint cool mist drifted like low clouds between trunks. 

For the first time, Judal felt free. The power to do what he wanted, when he wanted, however he wanted was infinitely more dear to him now that his otherworldly abilities. Divining the futures of others, making the rain fall, the plants grow; none of that was truly meaningful when compared to the feeling of freedom. To be the captain of his own soul was a wonderful thing. 

The terrain dipped down, a flower-filled clearing opening up beneath him. Pink and red blossoms swayed ever so slightly in the valley breeze, comically oversized petals brushing Judal’s legs as he waded into them. They smelled wonderful, and Judal bent down, bringing his face close to draw in the scent. 

Suddenly he was disoriented, knocked back mentally by some invisible force. Vertigo crushing his bones, he sat heavily in the flowers, rubbing his eyes. Maybe it was the flowers, somehow or another. He crawled in a circle, trying to escape the grove, but found he couldn’t move more than a few feet in any direction before vertigo hit him again. By the fourth escape attempt, he was too dizzy to notice a figure approaching through the flowers. If he had, he would’ve seen Hakuryuu bend down, rummaging in the flowers to yank a few toadstools from the ground and toss them out of the way.

When he regained his senses, blinking the woozy feeling out of his skull, Judal noticed two things; one, there was a young man in front of him, knelt in the flowers, his eyes glimmering in a shy, eager sort of way, and two, he had the definite aura of divinity about him. Without even concentrating Judal could make out the buzz of a heavenly veil about his shoulders and head. 

What to say to a god, anyway? He completely misplaced his deity etiquette. “Don’t tell me you’re here to make me a champion or something, I’ve got enough to worry about thanks.” He said, impulsively.

The young man looked shocked, eyebrows leaping ten feet up his forehead. “No, I… you fell into one of the traps I set for intruders. I just had to disarm it, that’s all! I don’t want a champion, trust me. I’m Hakuryuu Ren, I’m the spirit of the forest. And you are?”

Judal was tempted to say ‘none of your business,’ but something about Hakuryuu held him fast. “It’s Judal. So what kind of deal is this, do you just protect the place, or are you literally the forest?” 

“You know your deities.” Hakuryuu gave him a ghost of a smile. “The latter.”

Judal studied his face, the jagged scarring, the milky eye. “Was it a natural thing? A brush fire or something?”

“Wait, what?”

“Cause you know, how all the hills to the east are burnt up? If those were part of your body, it explains the scar. Was it intentional, maybe?”

Hakuryuu stiffened up, getting to his feet. “Uh. Anyway, I see you’ve taken a liking to the forest. I normally don’t let anyone stay for long, but I think I can make an exception… as long as you use your magic to care for the plants and animals here. I’d also like to get to know you. If that’s alright.”

“What is there to know?” Judal stood too, facing Hakuryuu, who looked more nervous than gods usually did, in his experience. Was he somehow nervous about talking to him? That was insane. 

“Anything you feel like! I mean, not right now, I just want to know if you accept. In return… I’ll also keep you safe, from any force in the outside world that might seek to harm you.” 

His tone was sincere, laid so bare that Judal was taken aback. “Oh, um, yeah, I can agree to that, for sure. Taking care of this place is child’s play, honestly. Now… I’m kinda lost, can you show me back to my tree?”

Hakuryuu nodded, truly smiling. “I’m glad. And yes, of course I can. If you like, I can make a house for you.”

“Nah, I don’t wanna be closed in.” Judal shrugged. “I don’t like walls. The tree is just fine with me.” 

“Then I promise you it’ll never change. No walls.” Hakuryuu placed his hand on Judal’s shoulder, the promise made tangible, and Judal had a fleeting feeling Hakuryuu understood what he meant.


End file.
